Balluff Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Balluff GmbH, based in Neuhausen, Germany, started construction last week on a $6 million expansion of its U.S. headquarters in Northern Kentucky. Gov. Steve Beshear joined local and company officials in the city of Independence on Thursday, April 11, for the project’s groundbreaking ceremony.

Balluff is one of the world’s leading automation suppliers, specializing in products for industrial sensing, networking and identification devices. The company’s U.S. headquarters currently employs more than 150 people. It has been located in Independence since 1983, and has expanded twice, in 1994 and 2001. The facility on Holton Drive is the final assembly, distribution and training site for Balluff in the United States.

The new 48,000-square-foot building is expected to be completed next year, in March. It will be a state-of-the-art customer support, training, and sales and marketing center with “green concepts” and worker-friendly features, such as 100 percent employee access to daylight from workspaces. The $6 million expansion will add 24 new, full-time Kentucky resident jobs.

As an incentive to encourage the investment and job growth in northern Kentucky, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) has approved Balluff for as much as $450,000 in tax incentives under two economic development programs. The company will receive as much as $300,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program and as much as $150,000 through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act.

“Balluff has found a successful home in northern Kentucky, with steady growth here over the past 30 years,” said Gov. Beshear in a statement to the press. “We’re proud to have the company’s U.S. headquarters in Kentucky and especially happy to see the company continue to expand, adding 24 new jobs and investing $6 million in the Commonwealth.”